Press Release: On Saturday, September 9th, lightweight Dimash Niyazov (11-0-3, 5 KOs), a resident of Staten Island, New York, will face Brazil's Eduardo Pereira dos Reis (22-4, 18 KOs) at a sold-out, 12000-seat venue in Astana, Kazakhstan. Now promoted by Salita Promotions and also employed as a New York City policeman, Niyazov's fight will mark his return to his birthplace of Kazakhstan. The bout will be a six-rounder as part of the Astana Expo 2017 event headlined by a twelve-round junior middleweight battle between Kazakhstan's Kanat Islam (24-0, 19 KOs) and Canada's Brandon Cook (18-0, 11 KOs).

The fight will be the first-ever outside of the United States for the 28-year-old Kazakh-born Niyazov. And with 12,000 of his countrymen expecting big things from him, Niyazov says he's feeling the pressure.

Here is what Niyazov had to say:

Q: Are you nervous, fighting outside the US and in front of so many people?

A: I feel a little nervous because it's my first time fighting here and I have to perform well. A lot of people, my fans, are coming just to see me, so I feel the pressure to do very well. in front of 12,000 people. They all know me. I got to look good.

Q: Why did you take this fight so far from where you've now lived for many years?

A: I live in the USA, I work in the USA. I have my family in the USA, so all my moves I make in regard to boxing are going to take place in the US. This was just an opportunity that I saw that can improve my boxing career.

Q: How did training camp go for this fight?

A: Training camp with my father went well. I am ready to perform and outbox the guy. I'm not looking for a knockout. I'm going to box the guy outclass him and the knockout will come by itself.

Q: How did you get the nickname Lightning?

A: The fans gave me this name. It's because of my fast hands. Sometimes when they see a knockout or knockdown it happens so fast they can't tell what happened.